Team Xbox previews Ticket to Ride, Commando 3

Despite Ticket to Ride not being officially announced, it looks like they've just skipped it over and gone to the previews! Team Xbox has a new preview of Ticket to Ride!

Ticket to Ride is one of those games that's pretty simple to get the hang of, but requires a lot of strategy to excel at. While the game is certainly fun on its own merits, the competitive nature of the game lends an extra level of excitement. Working against others to build the best and most expansive railway while trying to head others off at the pass, all while trying to connect your Destination goals is a thrill.

And while the game's AI proves a good challenge for any skill level, the real fun comes in taking on live opponents in full five player multiplayer games over Xbox LIVE. Games are quick to set up and jump into, and seem to play without ever getting derailed by lag issues. As an added bonus, Playful Entertainment and Days of Wonder have plans to release additional maps and expansions to the game via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Check out the whole preview here!

As well as TTR, they've added a new preview of Capcom's Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3! It's getting closer and closer to release, hopefully it's out soon.

Commando 3 takes the gameplay formula from the previous Commando games and translates in such a way as to make the most of home consoles. Players move around the screen with the left thumbstick and fire by using the right thumbstick, reminiscent of games like Galaxy Wars or (for you older gamers out there) Smash TV. Using either the right trigger or the right bumper, the player can aim and toss grenades, perfect for taking out enemy vehicles, bunkers, or soldiers ducking behind barricades.

Players also have at their disposal a limited number of special "M-Crash" attacks. These powerful moves unleash the player's full destructive potential, instantly clearing the screen of enemy troops and causing massive damage to nearby structures and vehicles.

Check out the whole preview here!

OFLC Watch - Ticket To Ride, Crazy Mouse, and Darwinia+ rated

3 quick updates to the Australian classification website tonight - with some interesting tidbits!

Crazy Mouse - the first XBLA game to come from China, has now been rated. Though announced, there has yet to be any media of the game outside of some small pieces of artwork viewable on Ultizen games website. Hopefully more information will be released soon.

Darwinia+, which first showed up on the ESRB website and was then officially announced later on Introversion's website, has now shown up on the OFLC - so it's making the rounds.

Lastly, the popular board game Ticket To Ride has been rated by the OFLC. The most interesting piece about this though - is that the OFLC announced the developer of the game - Next Level Games! Next Level is best known for their work with Nintendo on the Super Mario Strikers games on Gamecube and Wii. The rumormonger Surfer Girl early last month proclaimed that Next Level Games' next project WAS "a downloadable affair for the 360" - and once again she's right!

Source: The OFLC website

Told you so #1 - Ticket To Ride on Partnernet!

On Todays 1UP Yours podcast, in their "What'cha been playing?" segment, one of this weeks guests discussed Ticket to Ride on Microsoft's Partnernet.

Partnernet is an closed online service which can only be accessed by owners of Xbox 360 Development Kits or Test Kits. On this service are most of the Xbox Live Arcade titles currently available, but allow developers to test online code (interesting note: Mr. Driller Online never showed up on there, which might explain things...) as well as allow game journalists to play the games before they are released, and receive feedback.

One of the fascinating things about it is that there are games that do pop up there which haven't been announced yet, but of course, cannot be talked about (as much as everyone wants to).

Ticket to Ride - a highly acclaimed German board game which XBLAH found on the German rating board last month, is now apparently up there, and some people on 1UP Yours got a little addicted to it on the weekend. Let's hope Microsoft announce this game soon!

Source: 1UP Yours Podcast 04/25/2008

USK watch: Board Game Geeks - get ready for Ticket to Ride!

Just asfter the last ratings update - the USK was updated again. Two games sowed up - the recently announced RooGoo, but one more which will certainly make some people very happy - Ticket To Ride!

Ticket to Ride is a very popular German-styled Board Game created by Alan R. Moon and published by Days of Wonder, where you must create train routes throughout the map and gain points by doing longer routes, and making your destination. Lets allow Wikipedia explain it:

At the beginning of the game, players are dealt a number of 'destination' cards showing a pair of cities on the map. These become goals, representing two end-points which players are secretly attempting to connect. Each turn, players collect 'railway car' cards in various colours (including wildcard 'Locomotive' cards), draw additional 'destination' cards, or use railway car cards to claim routes on a map of the United States (that also includes southern portions of Canada) and thereby earn points. The routes are of varying lengths (requiring varying numbers of matching coloured cards), and each discrete route marked on the board can be claimed by only a single player. Longer routes are worth progressively more points than shorter routes, e.g. a route of length four is worth more than two routes of length two.



The game ends when one player has exhausted or nearly exhausted his or her supply of coloured train pieces. When this occurs, every player then plays one additional turn, after which they each reveal his or her previously hidden 'destination' cards. Additional points are awarded for having successfully completed the routes on the cards, whereas points are subtracted for any incomplete routes. A ten point bonus is awarded to the player who has the longest continuously connected set of routes.

There is also a video explaining how the game works in.. well, a very 1980's fashion here.

It's not officially announced, but this USK update pretty much confirms it.